This week is the first week of school at the University of Colorado Boulder.

That means that it’s also the first week of my last year of undergrad.

The time has finally come. In less than two weeks, I’ll finally be getting on a plane to Barcelona where I’ll be leaving everything and everyone behind for the rest of my life! Just kidding. But, it’s honestly so surreal to think about the fact that I AM flying there in only 10 days and this dream I’ve had for so long is actually coming true.

I’m a big believer in to-do lists. So of course, with just over a week left until I leave home for Granada, Spain, I’ve assembled somewhat of a daunting to-do list to get me ready to study abroad. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I think I’ve gone through the hassles of packing, unpacking and moving about 10 times, crazy right? So I guess it’s safe to say that I’m a professional packer now. Well that’s a stretch, but I do want to share some packing tips that I’ve learned along the way, mostly the harder way because I tend to over-pack. (I know I’m not alone on that one.) 

I thought I overcame procrastination—until it came to packing

If you’re anything like me, you might be spending countless hours running over what-ifs and possible scenarios of what to expect from your trip abroad. My mind is muddled, at this point. My emotions fluctuate with every new thought, worry, concern, or hope about my experience. In a time that should be pure excitement, I’m mentally drained with few helpful outlets.

Hi there! My name is Audrey Glas, and I’m from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I’ve lived in Harrisburg my whole life, and I go to school at Gettysburg College only about an hour away. I’ve traveled to quite a few states outside of Pennsylvania, but my only experience outside of the U.S. was one time, for one day to hike in Canada; and I didn’t even get a stamp on my passport.

I took this photo right before I officially moved out of my college room in Colorado. I thought it was a funny photo because it kind of looks like everything is going to be thrown in the trash because who has time to go get moving boxes? Certainly not me, I think the trash bags work fine. Yet looking at the picture invoked a feeling of seeing an ugly stuffed animal you had as a child. It’s not very cute but you’re attached because over time it has seen everything.